Presidents Day weekend busy for auto dealers

Tuesday

Feb 18, 2014 at 12:01 AM

By Matt TotaDaily News Staff

Even with the snowstorm, area auto dealerships were busy during Presidents Day weekend, reporting sales consistent with or better than last year.Though the early, persistent and at times heavy snowfall on Saturday had dealership general managers like Mike Penner nervous, it did not deter customers from crowding the brightly-lit showrooms.Penner, general manager at Imperial Cars in Mendon, boasted that Saturday’s sales were up 25 percent over 2013."The people who came out came to buy," he said. "They did their research and came in ready to go."Penner projected to sell more than 150 vehicles by the time the dealership closed on Monday. He said he has sold as many new vehicles as used."I’m pleasantly pleased to see the activity in the showrooms," he said. "I think it’s going to stay busy for a while."Domestic cars, trucks and SUVs — Ford, Chevy and Dodge — are selling better than last year, according to Penner. Imperial has reduced the prices for a new Ford Explorer, Chevy Traverse and Jeep Grand Cherokee by thousands, he said.According to a recent Reuters report on the U.S. car market, weather and overproduction has slowed overall sales, leading to a price war among major dealers.For Imperial, the increased inventory has actually proved helpful."We are only in the second month of the year, but we saw a substantial increase in sales for January," Penner said. "The inventory levels from our perspective have helped. It’s a competitive marketplace, and the guys who do the best will reap the benefits."He also noted that the used car market has improved, with customers mainly looking to purchase 2010 through 2012 models with low mileage.On Saturday, Milford Nissan had a steady morning and afternoon, but sales picked up considerably Sunday and Monday, said Jeff Batta, the dealership’s president."It’s been very, very busy," Batta said on Monday while standing in the showroom, red and blue balloons all around and the dealership’s mascot, Chester, a Labrador wearing a red tie, sniffing the carpet inside one of the offices. "I think people had cabin fever or something."A sign that Monday would produce the most sales came minutes after the dealership opened, Batta said, when a 91-year-old man strolled in looking for a new car.The dealership sold 30 vehicles over the weekend, just three shy of last year’s Presidents Day. With a few hours left until the dealership closed, Batta was optimistic about surpassing that total.People were favoring all-wheel drive cars and SUVs, he said, given the weather recently. One customer ditched his old pick-up for a Nissan Rogue because for the past few storms he has had trouble getting up his driveway.The redesigned Rogue, which could be leased for $159 a month, was among the top sellers, Batta said.He said sales of used cars were up this year.Customers browsing the showrooms and lots on Monday afternoon typically had a good idea of what they wanted.In Mendon, Ashley and Ken Miller were finishing up the paperwork on their new Jeep SUV. The Marlborough residents agreed on most everything except the extras.Asked what the sticking point was, Ken Miller said, "The luxury stuff."Out in the Imperial showroom, colorfully decorated with signs and relics from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, including life-size statues of the Blues Brothers, Brittany Allcorn and her boyfriend Joseph Bouvier, both of Webster, had a pressing reason why they needed a new car."His car had a bit of a malfunction this morning," Allcorn said. The diagnosis was grave, and they couldn’t justify paying for the repairs.Matt Tota can be reached at 508-634-7521 or mtota@wickedlocal.com.